Flooring



H. M. NEWTON FLOORING Filed sept. 8, 1951 March 2l, 1933.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,llll////////////A Patented Mar. 21, 1933 UNITED STATES -PATENT OFFICEl HAROLD M. NEWTON, OF CLAYTON, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO MIDLAND CREOSOTING COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO FLOORING Application led September 8, 1931. Serial No. 561,655.

This invention relates to ooring or pavement, and with regard to certain more specific features, to a wood or similar block type of flooring or pavement.

Among the several objects of the lnvention may be noted the provision of an 1mprovement in assembling into strips of suitable length blocks of the class described, said blocks being arranged, in one form, to present an end-grain surface for resisting wear; the

provision of improved forms of keys and splining tongues fitted to suitably located grooves and adapted to interlock with adjoining grooves in adjacent strips of blocks; the provision of a product of the class described which .shall present an even surface after being laid, said product having a desir-A able degree of flexibility so as to follow accurately the general lay of the surface to which the Hoor is applied without following local irregularities and without warping; and the provision of a product having the above and other improved characteristics. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will beindicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which are illustrated several of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a fragmentary section of laid flooring;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1.;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged diagram showing the relationship between'a wire key and a block before the key is applied;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the relationship of parts after the key has been applied;

Fig. 7 is a trimetric view illustrating a modified form of end arrangement of spline and key;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a modified form of the invention, certain parts being broken away;

Fig. 9 is an end view of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of a fragmentary sectionof flooring embodying the modified form ofblock illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9;

Fig. 11 is an-enlarged cross section' taken 60 lsubstantially on line 11-11 of Fig. v10;

Fig. 12 is a View similar to Figi 4 but showing a form of the invention wherein a spline tongue and a key are in the same groove;

Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic view showing 65 another modification;

Fig. 14 shows a detail of a modification of Fig. 8; and,

Fig. 15 is a view similar to Fig. 14 showing another modification.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

4lVvood blocks, cut to present end grain to wear, when applied individually to a floor or 75 vpavement are substantially as uneven as the floor itself. Attempts have been made to provide smoothness by bridging over the hollow spaces in a rough floor or the like by applying to the bottom of the blocks a layer of longitudinally grained wood or the like, tongue-and-grooved to the blocks. Successive strips of blocks 'thus assembled were keyed and splined by means of grooved, wooden tongues'. Some of ,the disadvantages of this form are the expense and complication of construction involved, and the fact that the longitudinally grained fiooring beneath the end grained blocks warps the surface out of shape; and the construction is heavier. Furthermore, it has not been easy to follow the contour of the floor, because of the inflexibility of this form of flooring.

Fla-t metal tongues are found to be heavy and difiicult of placement in the blocks and they are not properly held in place by the blocks.

Dowels placed in through holes are not satisfactory because of the expense of construction and the weakening of the blocks 100 .separately as an organization of by the through holes necessary for accommodating the dowels. The resent invention provides for working t e block at a region uwhere the weakening effect is neg- `ligible.'

The present invention overcomes the above and other diiiculties encountered with prior types of this flooring.

I IReferring now more particularly to Fig. 1, numeral 1 refers torectangular blocks which are adapted to lie` with the end grain vertically disposed, as shown. These blocks are arranged in rows as indicated by numerals 3 and. 5, each row being originall made up blocks conf stituting a strip.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, each row of blocks or stripis provided with longitudinally arranged side grooves 7 having, for example, a width of 14 gage (.083 inch). These grooves are formed while the blocks are aligned side-by-side and turned up-sidedown on a flat surface, whereby the subsequent upper floor surface is rendered accurate. The grooves 7 are accurately spaced from the tops of the blocks, as are all of the other grooves herein described. The

spacing from the bottom is also substantially accurate but this latter accuracy depends upon the accuracy with which the blocks were originally sawed lto length.

Into each groove while the blocks of a given row are aligned and lying side by side, upside-down on the level surface is forced a length of wire, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. The wire is of larger gage than the groove, for example, in the case of' the groove above set out a 9 gage wire (.148 inch) is sultable. The wireN vbeing substantially larger than the groove, it is necessary that it b epressed in with some force that it may be driven from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 6. The ydepth of the groove 7 is greater than the diameter of the wire 9, so that the wire sinks below the outer l aligned faces 11 of a given row of blocks for subsequent (Fig. 6). This rovides adequate material nishing after wire placement.

ABecause of the springiness of the end grain fiber of the wood, the groove tends to close in over the wire as shown in Fig. 6 at numeral 13, thus positively holding the wire in place and providing a compressive effect around the wire which prevents the blocks from sliding longitudinally thereon. The closing-in effect of 'the kwood around `the wire may be `enhanced by spraying water or the like on the groove before or afterthe wire-is placed, thus swelling the bers so that they more readily assume their original set after having beenforced apart by the wire. This procedure is however not absolutely necessary.

In the above manner the blocks 1 are juxta'J posed in permanent rows or strips or units. It will be seen that the interposition 0f the wires on eachvside of a given strip (Fig. 3) results in the strips bridging local depressions ina rough floor such as a concrete oor and at the sametime permits of a general bendingof the str-ip in order to follow more general undulations in the fioor contour upon which the strips are placed. The last-named effect is not interfered with by means of any sub-flooring attached to the blocks, as was the case in some prior structures above referred to. In short, the wires prevent local bending but permita general bending of the strips. At the same tlme thewires 9 have been accurately spaced from the upper surface 14 'of the blocks, to cause a smooth surface to be presented upwardly, whether the general surface be flat or undulating. The use of wire, instead of other types of tongues, permits of proper forcing into place 0f the. tongue and the advantageous closing in action of the vwood around the groove.

of the stripsas shown in Fig. 7, to be turned over and to function as endwise clamps.

In order that adjacent strips orrows 3, 5 may be aligned and fastened by splining,

I provide in one form of the invention a sec.

ond set of grooves 17. One of these is to function as a groove to receive a tongue or spline member 19 fastened in an adjacent strip. The tongue member 19 preferably comprises 4a length of crimped wire having an undulating or wave-shape, the troughs of which are forced into one groove of a iven strip 5, and the crests of which extend t erefrom and are adapted to be forced into the groove 17 of the adjacent strip 3 when the Hoor is laid. The relationship between the dimensions of the groove 17 and of the tongue 19 is of the order of that set out for the grooves 7 and wires 9. Thus the fibers of the wood spring in over the troughs and crests of the `undulation of the splined wire 19 as shown in Fig. 3, so as to effect a tight splining between the successive strips 3, 5.

It is clear from the above, that each assembled strip carries a blank groove 17 on one side, and a groove 17 on the other side in which is pre-positioned the spline wire 19. Fig. 3 illustrates this point. Fig. 4 shows the arrangement of the splines, numerals 21 referring to the regions at which the wood fibers recover their original position to clamp over the crests and troughs of the crimped wire. Fig. 7 also illustrates how, if desired,

the ends of the splines 19 may be shaped t0` function as end-clamps 23, although this also is not a necessity.

As illustrated in Fig. 12, the same groove which carries the key wire may be cut deeper and caused also to carry the spline wire 19. This method of applying both key and spline wires also permits the wood fibers to clamp around both wires in the manner described. It will be appreciated that a strip embodying this modification will have one groove on each side, the groove on one side having in 'it a straight wire imbedded deeply and a crimped wire imbedded not so deeply. The groove on the other side will be without a wire. This groove will receive its crimped wire when the adjacent strip is juxtaposed, as when laying a fioor or the like.

The last-named' modification can al@ be carried out by imbedding the crim ed wire 29 deeply in one yside of the strip ig. 13). The other side has a blank groove 27 with a deeply inset straight wire 31. Then when the strips are laid, the deeply inset crimped wire 29 goes into the opposite groove 27 with the deeply laid straight wire 31.

I It will be appreciated that many other forms and arrangements of key and splined members may be thought of which will come within the principles set forth in the present description. v

In Figs. 8 to 11, 14 and 15 is shown the applicationof the invention to a modified form of flooring, known as block inlay flooring. This flooring does not present end grain to wear but comprises square units or like slabsmade up of short strips heretofore mechanically held together by separate devices which were no part of the tongue and groove.

' These units were held together by means of tongues and grooves formed from the strips themselves.

Referring to Fig. 8, there is shown a plurality of boards or strips 33 juxtaposed but' not tongued and grooved at the interior edges 35. They are merely abutted. At the ends, these boards are grooved as shown at Inumeral 37 to receive Wires 39, substantially in the manner above described. However, in this modification it is well that the wires be not as much oversized with respect to the groove as they were in the first-named modification. The two wires 39 thus frictionally hold the boards I33 together" to forma square unit. The wires 39 are also placed deep enough so that a groove is left above them for receiving certain tongue portions next to be described.

Laterally the endwise boards are grooved with the grain as shown at numeral 41 for receiving, .substantially inthe manner de-4 scribed, crimped wires 43. These crimped wires form extending tongues for alignment purposes when laying the floor, this being illustrated in Fig. 9.

In Fig. 10 is shown how the assemblies of boards are arranged to form flooring An assemblage such as indicated by numeral 45' is laid down. Then an assembla e such as in-A dicated by numeral 47 is relativel turned through degrees and the crimpe tongues 43 are inserted in the remainder of the groove 37 not occupied by its wire 39. This process is continued, each alternate assemblage being positioned at 90 degrees with respect to the adjacent one, and having its tongue applied to the groove of said adjacent assemblage. The final result is that the entire vfloor is thoroughly interlocked without the' use of any tongue-and-'grooved boards in the sense that they have been heretofore known.

Fig. ll'illustrates the appearance of the joint after the floor is laid. It will be seen that Figs. 8 to 11 also illustrate the point which is made in connection with Fig. 13, namely, the use of ton ues and keys in juxtaposed grooves, instea of in grooves on different planes.

It is to be understood that crimped wires 43 may be substituted for the straight wires 39 in grooves 37 and grooves 41 left open to receive projecting crests of adjacent crimped wires, as illustrated in Fig. 15. Or, this modification may be effected with an extra strai ht wire 39 at the base of the groove 37 in wich the crimped wire 43 is placed, as illustrated in Fig. 14.

The character of the wire can be made to determine the degree of iiexibility in the final strip. For/instance, if maleable wire is used, there will be a great iiexibility and if a hard Bessemer wire is used the strips will be relatively stiff. Or the diameters may be varied. Thus the degree of flexibility may be better varied by use of metal wire. However, it is to be noticed that the round cross section of the wire may be used, without making the key and spline pieces of metal. For instance, thy may be made of fiber or the like. l

n view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in carrying outthe above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. Flooring comprising units, the units be- .said strips being made up of juxtaposed Yin at least some of said grooves, said spline 4 Wires having troughs" in fthe1r` respectlve` blocks, grooves cut edgewise of the strips ,l and across adjoining blocks, key wires in at least some of the groo es and crimped spline wlres groovesand crests outside of said grooves.' I 3.` Flooring comprisingjuxtaposed strips, saidv strips being made up of vjuxtaposed blocks, grooves cut edgewise of the strips and across adjoining blocks, key wires in at least some of the grooves and crimped spline wires in at least some of saidgrooves, said spline wires having' troughs in their respective .grooves and crests outside of ysaid grooves, said grooves being of a width normally less vertically with respect lto the strips, grooves in the sides of the strips and key wires in the grooves, said key wires having a diameter which is greater than the normal width of said grooves but less than the depth thereof, and crimped spline wires in at least some of the grooves, said spline wires having crests extending from the grooves in which they are located.

6. Flooring comprising strips, the strips being composed of juxtaposed blocks of wood, the end rains of which are presented vertically wit respect to the strips, grooves in the sides of the strips and key wires in the grooves, said key wires having a diameter which is greater than the normal width of of, grooves in the lateral edges of the outermost ones of said boards, key wires tightly heldin theendwise grooves and-crimped spline wires in the lateral grooves, the crimps ofthe spl'ine'wires extending Vfrom their respective grooves at certain points.

9.*Flooring units comprisingV juxtaposed boards, grooves in said -boards endwise thereof, grooves inthe lateral edges ofthe outermost ones of said boards, key ywires tightly held in the' endwise grooves and crimped spline wires in the lateral grooves, the' crimps' of the spline wires extending from their respectlve grooves at certain points, theunlts of the flooring being' laid so that said` spline wires extended to a juxtaposed groove which holds a key wire on the adj acentv unit.

10. vFlooring units comprising juxtaposed boards, grooves in said boards'and wires thereof, grooves inthe lateral edges of the outermost ends of said boards, and crimped spline wires in the en dwise grooves.

11. Flooring units comprising juxtaposed boards, grooves in said boards and wires thereof, grooves in the lateral edges of the outermost ends of said boards,crimped spline Wires in the end wire grooves and key wires 1n said endwise grooves below the crimped wire.

ln testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 5th day of said grooves but less than the depth thereof, p

and crimped spline wires in at least some of the grooves, said spline wires having crests extending from the grooves in which they are located, at least some of said spline and key wires being in a single groove before a ioor is laid.

7. Flooring comprising strips, the strips being composed of juxtaposed blocks of wood, the end grains of which are presented vertically with respectv to the strips, grooves in the sides of. the strips and key wires in the grooves, said key wires having a diameter whichis greater than the normal width of said greeves but less than the depth thereof, and crimped spline wires in atleast some of the grooves, said spline wires having crests extending from the grooves in which the. 'are located, at least some of said spline y an ke wires being in a single groove. 

